Federal prosecutors are suing New York City to speed the pace of reforms at the Rikers Island jail complex and address what a Justice Department investigation found was a “deep-seated culture of violence” against young inmates. less

Federal prosecutors are suing New York City to speed the pace of reforms at the Rikers Island jail complex and address what a Justice Department investigation found was a “deep-seated culture of violence” ... more

Photo: Seth Wenig / Associated Press

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U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara listens during a news conference Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, in New York. Federal prosecutors have sued New York City to speed reforms at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex. The lawsuit was filed to address what a Justice Department investigation found was a culture of violence against young inmates. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) less

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara listens during a news conference Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, in New York. Federal prosecutors have sued New York City to speed reforms at the ... more

Photo: Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press

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New York sued to speed reforms at violence-plagued jails

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NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors sued New York City on Thursday to speed the pace of reforms at the Rikers Island jail complex and address what a Justice Department investigation found was a “deep-seated culture of violence” toward young inmates.

The move comes a day after Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the 10-jail lockup to announce the end of solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-old inmates, a policy change initiated after the 2½-year federal probe released in August.

But the end of solitary was just one of 73 recommendations made by federal prosecutors to curb violence, improve investigations, strengthen accountability and reduce the use of solitary confinement for inmates who break jailhouse rules.

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In court papers, Attorney General Eric Holder and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wrote that despite four months of negotiations with the city, federal prosecutors “have been unable to reach agreement as to lasting, verifiable, and enforceable reforms.”

The lawsuit seeks a court-enforceable consent decree is issued by a judge to ensure the reforms take place and notes that the city has now agreed to such intervention.

In a statement, mayoral spokeswoman Marti Adams said the city didn’t oppose the federal intervention and reiterated de Blasio’s commitment to reform.

“We are beginning to unwind the decades of neglect that have led to unacceptable levels of violence on Rikers Island,” she said.

The court papers show federal prosecutors are hoping to join a federal class-action lawsuit that similarly claims widespread guard brutality in facilities that house adult inmates. They argued that combining the two actions “will facilitate much needed reforms at Rikers in the fastest and most efficient manner.”

Bharara said at a news conference that negotiations with the city have gone well, but “we think things can go faster.”

“In our view, much, much more needs to be done to safeguard inmates at Rikers Island,” he said.

De Blasio and his reform-minded commissioner, Joseph Ponte, have recently touted measures they say point to a change in direction for the nation’s second-largest jail system. Those include capping solitary stints to 30 days from 90 days, decreasing the staff-to-inmate ratio in juvenile facilities from 33-to-1 to 15-to-1, and the securing of funds to add surveillance videos over the next two years.